Grain-door



NI SMITHBACK AND W. H. MEIER. GRAIN DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED xuNEzs. 1919.

WIT/VESSES N. SMITHBACK AND W. H. MEIER.

GRAIN DOOR.

l APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26. 1919.

Patenti@ May 18, 1920.

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TTURNEYS i NEAL SMITHBACK AND WILLIAM HENRY lVfEIER, `OLE MADISON,WISCONSIN.

GnAiN-Doon.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1920.

Application led .Tune 26, 1919. Serial No. 306,946.

To all whom z'z may concern:

Be 1t known that we, NEAL SMITHBAGK and WILLIAM HENRY METER, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Madison, in

which is adapted most especially for use' with grain cars, grain storagestructures or the like.

An'important object of our invention is to provide a grain door of thistype with an outwardly swinging section and inwardly swinging sections,the inwardly swinging sections being positively prevented from swingingoutwardly beyond the. closed position of the door.

Another object of our invention is to prom` vide the inwardly swingingsections lwith means whereby they are swung to and normally held inpredetermined position whether this predetermined position be the closedposition of the doors when in use or the open position of the doorsflush against the wall of the storage structure whennot in use.y

, Another object is to provide means whereby the doors will beautomatically set in snug and leak-tight relation in closed position andmay partake automatically of all the movements necessary in theldifferent phases of the operation of opening and closing.

Other objects and advantages resideincertain novel features oftheconstruction,

combination and arrangement of parts and will become apparent as thedescription proceeds, reference being had to the accompany-- ingdrawings, forming a part of this specification, in which 1 Y Figure 1 isan outside elevation of the door, a portion of the upper section beingbroken away,

Fig. 2 is a plan view in section along the line 2 2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an inside elevation of the door, a portion of the uppersection being broken away,

Fig. 4f is an end elevation `of the door, the wall of the car or storagestructure being shown in section,

'more' fully described.

Fig: 5 is a top plan View ofthe upper swinging sections,

Fig, 6 is an inside elevation of the upper swinging sections,

Fig, 7 is an end elevation of the upper swinging sections, the adjacentportion of the car walll being shown in section,

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the lower sections, the positions taken bythe inwardly swinging sections and the outwardly swinging section beingshown in dotted lines,

Fig. 9 is an inside elevational-view of the lower sections, and

Fig. 10 is an end elevational lower sections.

.Referringk to the drawings the numeral 12 indicates a sill mounted onthe lioor of the car or storage structure, 13 the wall of the car orstorage structure and 14C the door opening. It is to be understood thatif desired the sill may be omitted as the floor of the car or storagestructure may be adapted to serve the purposes of the sill.

Vertical pintle 'rods 15 are seated in the sill 12 and are journaled incollars 16 fixed to the wall 13. The pintle rods and journal collars arepositioned a substantial distance from the door opening for a purpose tobe hereinafter more fully described.

rlhe swinging sections composing the door include upper inwardlyswinging sections `17, 18, 19, and 20, lower inwardly swinging sections21 and 22 and aV lower outwardly swinging section 23. The inwardlyswinging sections are hingedl to the vertical pintle rod 15 and theoutwardly swinging section is hinged to the lower `inwardly swingingsection 22 in a manner vto be hereinafter It is to be understood thatwhile only four ofthe upper inwardly swinging sections are shown in thedrawings, any desired number may be employed.

The swinging sections, with the exception of the lower outwardlyswinging section 23 and the coperating structure of the swinging section22, are identical and comprise hinge end pieces consisting of a hollowbody portion 24.- having an open end to provide a socket and a closedend 25 integral with the body portion. Apertured ears 26 are formedintegral with the closed end and are mounted upon the pintle rod 15.These apertured ears are preferably disposed adjacent the upper andlower ends of the hinge end pieces so as to bear against the collarsview of the means, and is so arranged that its end bears against theinner end of the panel and tends to normally space the same from theinner end of the socket and to resiliently oppose movement of the panelbeyond a certain point toward the inner wall of the socket.

A. meeting end piece 29 consists of a hollow body portion having anopened end to provide a socket and a closed outer end and is disposed onthe outer end of the panel, the reduced portion of the panel beingaccommodated or housed in the socket of the meeting end piece. The outerclosed end of the meeting end piece presents a substantial face whichabuts againstl a similar face presentedy by the adjacent meeting endpiece when a pair of the swinging sections are in closed position. Eachpair of swinging sections have the meeting faces of the end pieces 29provided with a tongue 30 and groove 31 which interiit in the closedposition ofl the swinging sections.

A coil spring 32 is mounted on the pintle rod between the apertured earsof each of the upper sections and has one end abutting one of said earsand the other end abutting against a shoulder or the like provided onthe collar 16. This spring is normally so arranged as to tend to swingthe upper sections` to closed position and to resiliently hold them inthisposition. It is to be noted, however, that this spring may bereversed so that itstendency will be to swing the sec` tions around toposition flush against the car wallin the event it is desirable to havethe door opening unobstructed and the swinging sections entirely out etthe way.

The lower swinging sections 21 and 22 are mounted on the pintle rod inthe same manner as the upper inwardly swinging sections and all of thesesections have a substantial portion of their length bearing against thecar wallfand this feature of arrangement absolutely precludes anypossibility of the inwardly swinging sections moving outwardly beyondtheir closed position. The inwardly swinging section 22 is approximatelyhalf the length of the other. sections and has its outer endfccnstructedso that the outwardly swinging section 23 may be hinged thereto as shownin the drawing. The outwardly swinging section 23 and the lower inwardlyswinging section 21 have meeting end pieces constructed and arrangedidentical with the meeting end pieces of the upper inwardly swingingsections.

The lower outwardly swinging section outwardly swinging section and thelower inwardly swinging section are provided with identical means forlocking them individually to the car or structure floor inclosedposition. This last-mentioned locking means comprises abolt 33 mountedon the outside of the sections and adapted to be seated 4in a keeper inthe car iioor. rIlhis bolt may be spring retracted andlisprovided withmeans for retaining itin: locked position such` as a detent` 34;. Themeans for locking the sections together comprises a locking` bar 35pivoted to the inwardly swinging section and adapted to be: seated inlocked position in a keeper 36 secured to the outwardly swingingsectionas shown in Fig. 1. The adjacent horizontal faces of` all of thesections are beveled as shown in the drawing so that they overlap inclosed position and provide a snug and leakftight joint.

In practicewhen the car or storage structureis loaded withy grain: thelparts are in the position shown in Fig` 1,.the weight of the grainaidingA in] maintaining the inwardlyv swinging sections in closedposit-ion and the outward swinging: section being,

locked in closed `position by the locking, means described. lVhen it isdesired to unload. thegrain the detent isoperated to rcleasethelockingboltandthe locking bar` is removed fremi the keeper to allowythe section 23 toswing outwardly'as; shown in Fig. 8. `Inithe event itis notdesirableto` use the doors or tohousethem in open position byreversing` the spring, as previously] described the pintle rods may beremoved and the sections taken down. y e i Wie claim l 1. A grain door`consisting of horizontall swingingl sections including hinge end pieceseach provided withA a socket, panels:

each having f their inner. end accommodated in said socket, meeting endpieceseachfhaving asocket accommodatingt-he outer ends of said panels,said meeting end pieces-having meeting faces ofi substantial, extent,one of said faces-being provided with agroove andtheother of saidfacesbeing provided with a tongue adapted toit in said groove and springmeans secured tothe inner wall of the socket inv saidy hinge endpieceand bearingl against the adjacent end of said panel whereby the meetingfaces of the meet ing end pieces are Jforcedy squarely and snuglyagainst each other inclosed position.

2. A grain door consistingof horizontally swinging sections includinghinge end pieces each provided with a socket, panels each having theirinnerendaccommodated insaid socket, meeting end. pieces each having asocket accommodating the outer endsof said panels, said meeting endpieces having meeting faces of substantial extent and spring meanssecured to the inner wall of the socket in said hinge end piece andbearing against the adjacent end of said panel whereby the meeting facesof the meeting end pieces are forced squarely and snugly against eachother in closed position.

3. A grain door consisting of pintle rods, horizontally swingingsections including hinge end pieces each provided with a socket, panelseach having their inner end accommodated in said socket, meeting endpieces each having a socket accommodating the outer ends of said panels,said meeting end pieces having meeting faces of substantial extent, andspring means secured to the inner wall of the socket in said hinge endpiece and bearing against the adjacent end of said panel, whereby themeeting yfaces of the meeting end pieces are forced squarely` and snuglyagainst each other in closed position and means for swinging thesections to closed position.

4. A grain door consisting of pintle rods, horizontally swingingsections including hinge end pieces each provided with a socket, panelseach having their inner end accommodated in said socket, meeting endpieces each having a socket accommodating the outer ends of said panels,said meeting end pieces having meeting faces of'substantial extent, andspring means secured to the inner wall of the socket in said hinge endpiece and bearing against the adjacent end of said panel, whereby themeeting faces of the meeting end pieces are forced squarely and snuglyagainst each other in closed position.

5. A grain car door comprising a vertical pintle rod, journals for saidpintle rod each provided with a shoulder, a swinging section including apanel, and a hinge end piece, said hinge end piece having apertured earsintegral therewith and pivoted on said vertical pintle rod, and a coilspring mounted on said pintle rod and having one end engaged with one ofsaid` earsl and the other end of said spring engaged with the shoulderof said journal.

6. A grain door comprising upper inwardly swinging sections, springmeans adapted to maintain said upper inwardly swinging sections inclosed position, a lower outwardly swinging section and locking meansadapted to maintain said outwardly swinging section in closed position.

7 A grain door comprislng upper 1nwardly swinging sections, spring meansadapted to maintain said upper inwardly swinging sections in closedposition and a lower outwardly swinging section.

8. A grain door comprising swinging sections, each section of whichincludes a panel, a hinge end piece provided with a socket to receiveone `end of said panel and spring means interposed between the innerwall of said socket and adjacent end wallof said panel. A

9. A grain door comprising horizontally swinging sections, a panel ineach of said sections, meeting end pieces each provided with a socket toaccommodate the outer end of each of said panels, hinge end pieces eachprovided with a socket to accommodate the inner end of each of saidpanels, and spring means mounted in the inner end of each of the socketsof said hinge end pieces to normally urge said panels outwardlytherefrom.y

l0. A grain door comprising a swinging section consisting of a panel,including a hinge end piece at the inner end of said panel, and meansurging said panel away from said hinge end piece.

ll. A grain door for grain cars, storage structures or the likecomprising the combination with the wall of the structure provided'witha door opening therein, of pintle rods, journals for said pintle rodsspaced a substantial distance from said door opening and horizontallyswinging sections hinged on said pintle rods whereby a substantialportion of each horizontal swinging .section abuts against the wall ofsaid structure in closed position to limit the outward movement of saidsections.

l2. A grain door consisting of swinging sections including hinged endpieces, meeting end pieces having meeting faces, panels carried by saidend pieces, and means carried by one of said end pieces and engageablewith said panels to force the meeting faces of said meeting end piecessquarely and snugly against each other in closed position. 13. A graindoor consisting of swinging sections including hinged end piecesprovided with sockets, meeting end pieces provided with sockets andhaving meeting faces, panels mounted in the sockets of said end piecesand spring means carried by one of the said pieces and engageable withsaid panels to force the meeting faces of said meeting end piecessquarely and snugly against each other in closed position.

NEAL SMITHBACK. WILLIAM HENRY MEIER.

